Research into the sense of touch has focussed mainly on the fingertips where information is conveyed to somatosensory areas of the brain by fast-conducting myelinated nerve fibres (A-β) enabling this information to be processed in ‘real-time’ – an important factor when handling objects or detecting a physical event on the body.  However, there is a recently discovered (in humans) population of slow-conducting unmyelinated mechanosensory nerves in the skin of the body that send ‘feel-good’ signals to the brain when stimulated by a gentle caressing touch, C-tactile afferents (CT). This kind of touch we are now beginning to understand plays a fundamental and pivotal role in the very earliest stages of the development of a ‘healthy social brain’ (and in its absence an ‘unhealthy’ social brain), a process that starts in utero and continues across the lifespan, sustaining human relationships, controlling stress, regulating immune function, and even regulating the gut microbiome!  

This talk builds on research that over the past 30 years has characterised the structure and function of CTs, in human and non-human animals, providing support for the protective role of a body-based emotional touch system – Vitamin-T!